A. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a new and improved floor treating machine, and more particularly, to a new and improved floor treating machine which can be used both as a floor scrubber and a floor polisher. In an alternate embodiment a high speed single purpose floor polishing machine is disclosed. Both machines include electric and pneumatic controls to operate the floor treating machine in the scrubbing and buffing modes or buffing only mode.
B. Description of the Background Art
Floor treating machines presently available are used to scrub a hard floor surface with a cleaning solution. Such machines typically include a solution tank containing the cleaning fluid to be used in the scrubbing operation, a brush head assembly having at least one scrub brush to scrub the floor with the cleaning solution which is automatically metered to the brush heads from the solution tank and a soilage recovery system usually having a squeegee to collect the wet soilage or dirty solution and a vacuum system to pick up the collected wet dirty solution and to deposit the dirty solution in a recovery tank. Some of these machines are self-propelled, battery powered and are referred to as automatic floor scrubbers. The machines normally require only one person to operate and may clean floor surfaces at a rate of 24,000 to 30,000 square feet per hour.
Different aspects of one type of floor scrubber machine presently available is disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,218,798; 4,251,896; 4,293,971; and 4,333,202 to Block and assigned to the assignee of the present invention, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,218,798 discloses the aspect of a floor treating machine including a brush subassembly and brush lift assembly. The brush lift assembly includes a lift arm pivoted to the support frame of the machine and a fluid operated diaphragm motor engaging the lift arm for pivoting the lift arm to lift the brush subassembly. The lift assembly either raises or lowers the brush subassembly.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,251,896 discloses the aspect of a gimbal connection for connecting brushes of a floor treating machine to a motor. This connection allows the brushes to shift axis of rotation to accommodate deviations in the surface being treated.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,293,971 is directed to the aspect of a squeegee assembly on a floor treating machine. The use of a coil spring to free a squeegee from direct rigid connection to the floor treating machine is specifically disclosed.
The aspect of a one piece tank for a floor scrubbing apparatus is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,333,202. The one piece tank defines both a recovery tank portion and a solution tank portion.
There also are presently available floor waxing or polish machines. These machines normally have a single brush and are either self-contained or must be plugged into a source of AC power. One such machine is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,930,055.
Self contained machines utilize batteries or propane gas as a source of power. Some even use gasoline powered internal combustion engines. However, the gasoline powered machines are not very practical indoors or in confined spaces.
There are available self-contained high speed buffing machines which are capable of attaining brush rotational speeds of 2000 RPM and above. Some battery powered high speed polishing machines are equipped with integral battery chargers which facilitate battery charging and decrease down time.
In most propane gas type machines, the propane gas tank must be removed when empty and replaced with a full tank. Propane gas machines also inherently require more maintenance than the battery powered type. The oil must be checked regularly as well as the spark plugs and the air cleaner on the cooling system.
Some machines which have combined capability for scrubbing and polishing require separate scrubbing and buffing (or waxing) brushes often at different locations on the machine. The resultant machine is bulky and difficult to maneuver during floor treating operations. U.S. Pat. No. 3,204,280 discloses such a machine and also discloses a system for either raising or lowering the brushes. This machine lacks the capability to vary the pressure of these brushes on the surface being treated.
A machine for rotating several brushes at two speeds and either raising or lowering the brushes is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,942,215. Multiple brushes individually used for only one function are provided and the pressure of the brushes on the surface being treated cannot be varied. A bulky and unwieldy machine is the result.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,173,052 discloses a mechanical linkage system for varying the position of a brush relative to a surface being treated to compensate for wear of the brush. This mechanical system does not function to vary the pressure of the brush on the surface in accordance with the mode of operation of the machine.
A hydraulically operated street cleaning machine with an external power source is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,138,756. The disclosed machine includes one or more curb brushes and a single main brush the speed and downward pressure of which may be varied to a limited degree. Selective coupling to a power source to vary the speed and downward pressure of two brushes to perform the different functions of scrubbing and buffing is not disclosed.
Conventional dual purpose machines which are capable of both scrubbing and polishing require the operator to manually vary the pressure between the brushes and the floor depending whether the machine is used in the scrubbing or polishing mode. This can be cumbersome for the person operating the machine. Also, there is the risk that the operator may improperly adjust the pressure resulting in a non satisfactory floor finish.
In both dual and single purpose machines, the floor finish is dependent upon the brush rotational speed. Mores brush pressure is exerted during scrubbing as compared to polishing. During the polishing the brush pressure must be optimized with the brush rotational speed. Faster brush rotational speeds are capable when the brush pressure is reduced resulting in a more highly polished, glassy look finish.
Any improvements in floor maintenance machines would be welcomed by the industry. More importantly the lack of an acceptable solution demonstrates that there is a long felt need by the industry which has heretofore eluded those skilled in the art.